Vision Check

Luke 11:33-36 (NIV)

"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Think about all the stuff that you see everyday. The bad and the good. The little things and the big stuff. And all the memories that you've witnessed throughout your life. Now think about how much of what you saw you controlled and how it affected you. A lot of us have intentionally looked at things or put ourselves in positions that don't bring light into our bodies and hearts, but rather cause the darkness within us to grow. That darkness can drive us to see more things that only worsen the darkness in us, and cause our light to grow dimmer and dimmer. But it doesn't have to be that way. If we allow the light of Christ to flood our hearts and overflow in our lives, we'll find ourselves looking at more things that cause the light to grow in our lives and cast out the darkness. And even with the dark things that we can't help but see, the darkness won't touch us because we have the everlasting light of Christ within us. 

Come to God with all the things that you've seen your life that have left an impact on you. Thank Him for the good things that brought light into your life, and if you feel Him leading you, ask Him to forgive you of the things that you've intentionally seen that have brought darkness into your life. Again, if you feel God leading you, ask Christ to flood your heart with His everlasting light that it may fill you and radiate from you in your life. Give your eyes to Christ that you may see with His light, and that your eyes may see things that cause the light to grow in your life. 

I pray that this empowers you with Christ's everlasting light throughout today :) I hope everyone has an amazing day! 

Madelynn

Set Your Standards

Isaiah 33:15-16 (Message Version)

The answer's simple: 
   Live right, 
   speak the truth, 
   despise exploitation, 
   refuse bribes, 
   reject violence, 
   avoid evil amusements.
This is how you raise your standard of living! 
   A safe and stable way to live. 
   A nourishing, satisfying way to live.

Think for a moment about what standards for living you've set for your life. We've all set some of our own standards for living, no matter how big or small they may be. Go through them a few times in your head and be honest with your self about what standards for living you really set for yourself. Now think about how well those standards have worked out for you, and how those standards have affected you in your life. Chances are you haven't met all of your standards, and not all of your standards have worked out perfectly. The reason behind that is that we are all human and imperfect. No standard we set for ourselves will ever turn out perfectly, and we all fall short and fail to meet some our standards. But here in Isaiah, God sets out standards to give us a stable and satisfying life that will glorify Him. Will we meet all of these standards perfectly? Nope. Because we are human and we all fall short of the glory of God. But can we use these standards God has set to make our paths straight in life? Absolutely. 

Open up to God about your standards for your life, and talk to Him about how they compare to the standards He has set for you. Talk to God about how those standards have affected you, and be honest with Him about what is on your heart right now. If you feel God leading you, give your life to live for Him and ask Him to guide you to live a life on the straight path he has set before you based on His standards. Once you do, you'll find your life becoming safe, stable, satisfying, and nourishing as well as filled with an incredible purpose.

I pray that this empowers you in God's purpose for your life throughout today. Hope you all have an awesome day! 

Madelynn 

Burned Out

Matthew 11:28-30

 

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.

 

 

Think about a time when you've felt completely exhausted- physically, spiritually, or emotionally. Now think about how you felt once you we rested and rejuvinated. That's what Christ does for us in our lives too. When we are burdened and burned out, he is the only one who can truly handle the mess of our burdens and lift that weight off our shoulders. And Jesus isn't a temporary fix like nap- he is always there, never changing and unshakeable.

 

Enter into a time of prayer with God. Talk to him about your burdens, and your desire for rest and peace. And if you feel God leading you to do it, ask him to come into your heart, take off your burdens and give you the rest you need. Ask him to come into your life and guide you to live in the rhythms of grace so that you may live in his peace.

I pray that this will lift your burdens and give you rest and peace in Christ today. I hope everyone has a great day! :) 

Madelynn

To Die For

Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless,Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Read over this one more time, and really let what the message is saying sink in. Think about people you really and truly love enough to die for. Chances are, you wouldn't lay your life down for just any stranger in the world. Now think about people close to you who you think would give their lives for you. It's a crazy thing to think about because rarely will anyone ever have to lay down their life for someone, but that rare moment came to life on the cross. Even though we are so far from Christ and at times we are lost in our sin, Christ still laid down His life for us. Not because of a good deed we did. Not because of us sitting in Church on a Sunday, or listening to a Christian radio station. Nothing we have ever done has made us deserve the life Christ gave us through His death on the cross. He made that sacrifice for one reason: because of His unconditional, unfailing and undying love for us so that we may have a life free from sin. And once we embrace Jesus' ultimate sacrifice, we find that we are brought to life because of His incredible love for us, and that God enables us to live our lives honoring the cross. 

Open up to God about how you feel about what Christ did for you, and how it affects you. Maybe you don't understand why He did what He did, or maybe you're overjoyed with the new life God offers you through the cross. Whatever is on your heart, bring it to God. If you feel God leading you to do it, allow yourself to embrace the sacrifice Jesus made for you, and give your life to live honoring His love on the cross. Thank God for His sacrifice, and ask Him to guide you that you made live out His love-filled purpose for your life.

I pray that your new life in Christ will empower you throughout today, and that God powerful presence would rest on your heart and give you peace. I hope everyone has an awesome day! 

Madelynn

Hungry

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

Think about moments when you've been hungry. It's kind of a weird thing to think about, but think about how it felt in a moment when you were really, really hungry. You probably felt an emptiness in your stomach and an aching to be filled with food that would sustain you. And if you were surrounded by food you couldn't have, it probably tempted you and made your hunger grow more and more. Now think about how it felt to finally have good food that filled you after enduring the aches of hunger for however long you went without food. Strangely enough, our appetite for food is very similar to our spiritual appetites. So often we go through out our lives craving to be filled and sustained. We feel empty without something to sustain our souls, and so many of us long to be filled with something that will satisfy our spiritual appetite. We look around to see others that seem filled and we desire to be filled as they are, driving our hunger further. When we fill ourselves up with the world, we get sick and find ourselves aching more and more because the world can never sustain us. God is the only one who was ever meant to sustain us and fill us, and He is the only one who ever can. When we allow God to fill our souls, we find that we are no longer empty and plagued by the aching pains of hunger, but we are filled and sustained by God's unfailing love. As as we embrace God as our Savior after enduring pain for so long, we feel completely satisfied and at peace with ourselves and God.

Open up to God about what you feel your soul is hungry for. Whatever emptiness is inside you, or whatever you have been filling your heart with, bring it to God. If you feel God leading you, ask Him to fill your soul and satisfy your spiritual hunger. Once you allow God to fill you, you'll find yourself full of God's presence and power, and will be spiritually fueled to go out and fulfill God's incredible purpose for your life.

I pray that this will sustain you and empower you in God's love throughout today. I hope everyone has a great day!

Madelynn

Who Knows Your Heart?

1 Corinthians 4:7-8 (Message)

For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn't everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what's the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle.


Think about all the times you've been judged, and how it affected you. Now take the flipside- think about all the times you've judged others, and how it's affected them. No matter which side your on, one thing always stays true- no one really knows your heart but you and God, so no one really has any place to judge. And once we accept Christ in out hearts, he brings out all the spiritual gifts in us to glorify him. When we use our gifts for him, people find less of a reason to judge us, and more of a reason to look up to us and look into the reasons why we do what we do for Christ. So don't compare or judge as you go throughout life, but be satisfied in the amazing person Christ is making you to be.

In today's word, it says that we have more access to God than we can handle, and this is incredibly true. We can access God in infinite ways- through his word, through our actions, through our hearts. But one of the best ways to access God is through communicating with him in prayer. So, open up in prayer to God. Talk to him about how you've been judged and how you have judged. If you feel God leading you to do it, forgive those who have judged you, and seek forgiveness for those you've judged. And ask God to reveal the spiritual gifts he's blessed you with and guide to use them.

I pray that this will satisfy you and fill you up today, and leave you empowered in the incredible gifts you were blessed with. I hope everyone has an awesome day! :)

Madelynn

True Love

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
 always perseveres.

Love never fails


Love. It's something humans have tried to figure out since we came into existence, and still has yet to be figured out. This world has a constant struggle with love and grasping what it truly is. But maybe love is not feeling or a word- but a person. The truth is, God is love. Plain and simple. And if you look around at the world, we so often take God out of love, and we find that's what messes our love up. I encourage you to read over this one more time-but this time all the places where it says love, put your name in there, and check your heart. Are you all those things? The truth is, no one here on Earth is, but God is all of those things and more. God is love. And when you fully embrace that, you'll find that you are filled beyond measure and can truly experience what love really is.

If you find yourself stuggling with love, open up to God about your struggles with love and ask Him any questions about love that are weighing on your heart . Be honest with him- He loves you so incredibly much and He wants to hear from you. If you feel Him leading you to do it, ask Him to show you what true love really is, and to come into your heart and fill you with His unfailing and unconditional love.

I pray that God's love empowers you and gives you peace throughout today. I hope everyone has an awesome day!

Madelynn

Facing Failure

Psalms 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Think about moments when you have been faced with failure. It's not exactly a pleasant thing to think about, but it's important to look back and reflect on our mistakes so that we can learn from them and be made stronger. As much as we try so desperately to be, we will never be perfect, and we were never made to be perfect. So often we strive for perfection, but come up empty with the failures that we encounter. The constant battle to be perfect is one that tears us up inside and out, and leaves us weak and incomplete. But here, David comes to God in humility, admits that he is not perfect and never will be. And although David is faced with his imperfections, he gives his failures over to God to embrace the perfect power of the Lord to be the strength of his heart. Once we do as David did so long ago, we find that we are not longer weakened and incomplete from our failures, but empowered and fullfilled in the perfect strength of Christ.

Talk to God about the failures in your life that have burdened your heart. Talk to Him about how your imperfections have affected you, and open up to Him if you are caught the battle for perfection. If you feel God leading you to it, surrender your failures over to Him and allow God to be the strength of your heart as David did. Ask Him to be your portion forever to complete you, for God is the only one who can ever make us truly whole and complete us.

I pray that this empowers you with God's strength throughout today. I hope everyone has a fantastic day!

Madelynn

Faith Like a Child

Matthew 18:4 (NIV)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.


Think about the one person that you looked up to the most when you were a child. Think about the innocence behind your admiration of that person, and also think about how you viewed yourself in light of the adoration you had for that person. When you have a role model as a child, you humble yourself to a position of looking up to that person. Children view their role models with pure simplicity and innocence, untainted by the world's complicated judgements and analysis that so often gets in the way of developing a relationship with anyone. Here Christ calls us to dig up that simplistic childhood frame of mind that is buried beneath the tangled mess of worldly views that we have become so accustomed too. Once we unveil our hearts and minds from behind the curtain of worldly thinking that taints our view of God, the beauty of Christ is revealed in all its glory. And with this unveiling we find that we are humbled at the feet  of Christ, looking up in awe at our father, beholding His love and mercy in the simplicity of that humbling moment.

Talk to God about how you view Him now, and how the world has played a part in it. Open up to Him about what child-like faith means to you, and take a moment to think about what life would look like through the eyes of a child. If you feel God leading you, ask Him to unveil your heart that you may see God through the eyes of a child. Embrace God as a Child would their father, not holding anything back, and loving Him with a simple and pure love.

I pray that God's fatherly embrace will rest on your heart today and give you peace throughout today. I hope everyone has a marvelous day! :)

Madelynn

Confidence

Proverbs 3:24-26 (New King James Version)

 

And your foot will not stumble.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;For the Lord will be your confidence,
And will keep your foot from being caught.

Think about what having confidence means to you. Think about moments when you've had confidence in yourself, and when you've lacked it, and how those moments have affected you. We go throughout our lives seeking to find our worth, and seeking to avoid any danger that could befall us. However, when we live our lives running to the world for worth, but running from it in fear, we find that we are caught in a cycle that leaves us more empty than fullfilled. The moment we stop seeking our worth in the world and stop letting fear consume us, that is the moment when we find ourselves emptied of the burdens of the world that drive us to our never-ending insecurites. Once we are emptied of the world and the insecurities it causes, God then fills the emptiness within us with his overwhelming and unfailing love that secures us and gives us confidence in the Lord.

 

Open up to God about what having confidence and lacking it means to you. If you find yourself caught in the cycle of seeking self-worth and security in the world, bring it to God and talk to Him about how it's affecting you. If you feel God leading you, surrender your chase of the world to Him and invite Him to fill you with his unfailing love and security. Ask God to give you confidence in Him, and to guide to live everyday resting on His powerful presence.

 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day! I pray that this gives you confidence in God today, and that you are empowered to have Him work through you.

 

Madelynn

Content With Who We Are

Matthew 5:5 (Message Version)

You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

Think about what it would mean to you to be completely content with who you are. It seems so often we as humans are never satisfied with ourselves- we aren't pretty enough, aren't rich enough, aren't popular enough, aren't good enough for the standards of this world. But God has told us in his word that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that He has an undying love for us. God's only standard is that we embrace His love and let him fill our hearts until they overflow with His purpose. Once we meet his standard of allowing him into our heart, we should be more than satisfied with who we are because we are being what God has called us to be, and that is more than enough.

Talk to God about what's stopping you from being content in your life. Open up to him completely, and let him know what's holding you back. And if you feel God leading you to do it, invite him to fill your heart with his love and purpose so that you can be content with who God has designed you to be.

I pray that you live today proud of the amazing person God has made you to be, and that you will find peace in God's purpose. I hope you all have an amazing day! :)

Outside Looking In

Luke 5:31-32 (Message Version of the Bible)

Jesus heard about it and spoke up, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out."

Think about all the times when you've been on the outside looking in. Think about how it felt, and how being an outsider has affected you. We've all been to a point in our lives when we weren't included in something- be it sports or hanging out with friends when we were younger, or being left out of certain social groups as we grow older, we've all been there. And it's so common today to see people left out and abandoned because they are different in some way. But God makes us an amazing promise through Jesus' words that He didn't come for the insiders or to abandon the people who are different. Jesus came to save everyone, and to bring the outsiders into his embrace so that they are never left abandoned again. And once we are caught in that incredible embrace and we are no longer left on the outside looking in, we find ourselves caught in an indescribable transformation, inside and out.

Talk to Christ about moments when you've felt left out and forgotten, and talk to Him about how it's affected you. Then if you feel Him leading you, ask Christ to embrace you in His unconditional, undying love. And in this embrace with Christ, ask Him to change you from the inside out, to make you a new and pure creation in Him. Also ask Christ if there are any outsiders in your life that Christ could use you to reach out too. Once you open the door for Christ to work through you, you'll find amazing things happening not only in your life, but in the lives of those Christ touches through you.

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I pray that Christ's embrace gives you peace, strength and joy through out today.

Madelynn

Unconquered

2 Cor. 4:8-12

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.


Read this passage one more time slowly, really letting it sink in. We've all faced hardships, and I think all of us have hit rock bottom at some point. But God's promise comes through clearly here- no matter how hard things may get, God will never let go of us. He will always be there holding on to us, no matter the circumstances. Once we embrace Christ's love in our lives, he makes us new. We die to our old selves that were so weighed down with burdens, and we are made new and pure through the life of Christ. And once we have the life of Christ in us, His light is so big that we can't contain it and breaks through the darkness in every part of our lives. Living in that light, we experience the most indescribable joy that will stay with us- even in the hardest times.

Enter into a moment of prayer with God. Talk to him about your burdens- what's pressing you down, and what's confusing you in your life. If you feel God leading you, give Him all your burdens and embrace his love in this moment with Him. Ask Him to break through the darkness in your life, and to fill you with joy until you overflow.

I pray that this gives you peace, strength and joy througout today. I hope you all have a great day!

Madelynn

Words of Encouragement

1 Thes. 5:10-11


He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.


Think about all the moments when you've needed encouragement, someone to tell you it's gonna be ok and you'll make it. Now think about how lack of encouragement affected you, and how moments when you were encouraged affected you differently. God calls us to live in Christ and show his love by building others up. One little word of encouragement can change a persons life sometimes. Think of ways of how you can build others up in Christ, and think of people who need to be built up in Christ. Once you start building others up in Christ, you'll find that you yourself are being built up in Christ too.

Talk to God about how encouragement or lack of encouragement has affected you. If you feel Him leading you, commit your life to live for him and to build others up in Christ. And ask God to lay on your heart anyone who is in need of encouragement- you'll be surpised who He brings into your life and the impact that encouragement will have on both you and the person you are building up.

A Beautiful Mess

Psalms 139: 1-6


You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.


Think about how you would react if someone searched through all your thoughts, your plans, your past and your fears. I know I certainly wouldn't want anyone looking that deep into my life, because beneath the surface, I'm pretty messed up. As much as I want to hide whatever ugliness there may be inside of me, it says it here that there's one person I can never hide from- God. The incredible thing about God is, though, that He still loves us despite the mess we are, and He has still set out an amazing purpose for our lives. And knowing that God will always love me despite my messes and that He will always have a purpose for my life gives me such an indescribable peace.

Talk to God about whatever messes you may have inside that you've been hiding from Him. Open up to Him whatever deep parts of your life you keep tucked away, and be honest with Him about what you're going through. If you feel God leading you, embrace His unconditional love in this moment and His plan that he has set out for your life. Ask Him to guide you to live everyday in this embrace and to stay on the path of His purpose. Thank Him for creating you into the amazing person that you are today, because you are truly a wonderful creation of God's.

I pray that this gives you peace and purpose throughout today! Have an awesome day, and please leave comments if you get the chance :)

Madelynn

Don't Worry

Phil. 4:6-7


Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


Worry. It's something that we are naturally inclined to do; to desire to defend ourselves and to plan out our defenses against harm. When our thoughts are constantly consumed with how we're supposed to battle potential harm in our lives, worry floods us and it begins to break us down. But we don't have to be hopeless and consumed in the wreckage of worry. Because guess what? We were not meant to defend ourselves. We were meant to have God defend us, because He is truly the only one who can protect us and come out of these day-to-day battles victoriously. The only thing we have to do is pray with a thankful heart for God protection, and hand over all our battles to Him. Then something crazy happens- we find peace on the battle field because we know that our God is fighting for us every step of the way.

Read over this verse one more time, and then follow what it's saying to do- pray. Thank God for everything you're thankful for, big and small. And talk to Him about all your worries, and if you feel God leading you to it, hand them over to Him so that you won't have to carry this burden of worry on your shoulders any longer. Ask him to flood you with peace, understanding and protection of your heart and your mind.

I hope everyone has an awesome day! :)

Madelynn

Strength in Weakness

Read through this slowly- maybe more than once and let God's word really soak in.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (Message Version of the Bible)


Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
   My grace is enough; it's all you need.
   My strength comes into its own in your weakness.


Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.


This verse has gotten me through a lot- so often I personally feel weakened by this world. Like I'm not enough, and I never will be. But that's the beauty of God's grace- we were never meant to be enough, but God is always enough. He is perfect in every way- his plans may seem crazy to us at times, but God is so incredible that he will never make sense to us. We just have to trust that He has plan, because he's told us he has a plan and that he will work for our good if we just trust Him. And he's saying it here- God will make you stronger through your weaknesses. That's a pretty crazy idea too when you think about it- but it's God's promise to us and God never fails.

So pray about it- whatever God's laid on this heart through this passage , talk to him about it- let him know how you feel and what you want- because guess what? God loves you unconditionally- whether you're furious with him or happy with Him- He loves you all the same. And he wants to hear from you- so much more than you'll ever know.

Then live it out. Go through out your day- not weighed down by your weaknesses, but empowered by them! God's working in you to do something great, and he's changing you everyday to make you stronger.

I hope everyone has an awesome day, and I'm praying for you! God Bless :)

Madelynn